The bride was infected with bacteria after thread embedding and was covered with pustules

For women, getting married is the most beautiful day in life, so they often need to prepare for beauty treatments in advance. However, a 31-year-old woman surnamed Liu received thread embedding for weight loss before getting married. Unexpectedly, she became infected with Mycobacterium abscessus, which caused her abdomen, arms, thighs and other thread embedding areas to be covered with pustules. The largest one was as big as a 50-yuan coin. She had to go through major life events such as getting married and having a honeymoon during the treatment.

For women, marriage is a major life event, and they often need to undergo medical cosmetic surgery beforehand to maintain their skin in the best condition.

Dr. Chen Shiyi, a plastic surgeon at Tong Hospital, said that Mycobacterium abscessus is a type of non-tuberculous mycobacterium that is more common in people with poor immunity. However, the patient in question was not immune-compromised and may have been infected during the thread embedding procedure. This can occur when surgical instruments or implants are not completely disinfected, leading to bacterial infection.

A woman surnamed Liu accidentally became infected with Mycobacterium abscessus while undergoing thread embedding to lose weight, and pustules developed at multiple thread embedding sites. (Photo provided by Tong General Hospital)

The main route of infection of non-tuberculous mycobacteria is due to invasive treatment or surgery, and often occurs in patients with long-term non-healing surgical wounds. In addition to fever, wound redness and swelling, pain, ulcers, and pus discharge, severe cases may also lead to sepsis and even death.

Dr. Chen Shiyi said that for the treatment of non-tuberculous mycobacterium infection, it may be necessary to combine multiple antibiotics for more than 6 months in clinical practice, and supplement with debridement surgery depending on the situation. It is recommended that people who love beauty should carefully choose a hospital or clinic before undergoing cosmetic medical treatment, understand the details of the project to be performed, discuss the relevant risks with medical staff, and choose a professional medical environment to avoid getting sick instead of being beautiful.